Culturally Competent Care

The Center for Women with Disabilities at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital provides state-of-the-art preventive health care. The Center consults with women with disabilities to make sure they are meeting their needs for accessible, regular, exams and screenings.

At UPMC, we recognize the differences that make our patients and health plan members unique.

Our ongoing commitment to culturally competent care means we work with internal and external partners to offer resources to:

• Meet the needs of our patients and customers.
• Enhance the patient experience.
• Support our valuable differences.

» View resources for English and Spanish speaking patients, customers, and health plan members (PDF).

CultureVision™ is an online tool that provides general and health-related information about different religious, ethnic, and social communities. From dietary restrictions and gender roles, to community history, CultureVision is focused on providing awareness of what you might experience with diverse groups so that you can approach interactions sensitively. In the end, however, it’s about getting to know the individual.

The Interfaith Pocket Guide (PDF) gives an overview on religious backgrounds, beliefs, and practices of a number of faiths. The guide offers basic information to help our care providers better meet a patient’s needs.

At UPMC, we recognize the unique health care needs of those in the LGBTQ community. And we work to create a setting that is welcoming, caring, and adaptive to those needs.

This means we make sure to:

• Equip our staff with the knowledge, skills, and best practices in LGBTQ patient care.
• Provide learning and internal and external resources for staff and patients to ensure a strong network of ongoing LGBTQ support.

Find LGBTQ patient and clinical care resources at the Human Rights Campaign.

The PERSAD Center

The PERSAD Center is a human service organization whose mission is to improve the well-being of the LGBTQ and HIV/AIDs communities.

The PERSAD Center serves these groups and their loved ones throughout all stages of life across western Pennsylvania with service centers in Pittsburgh and Washington, PA.

UPMC hospitals and facilities also offer local support and resources for LGBTQ and HIV/AIDs patients.

This partnership proactively engages community members, health and human services providers, and UPMC staff to find services and programs to:

• Increase UPMC's understanding of national best practices in cultural competency to best meet the diverse needs of our communities.
• Engage other agencies, organizations, and communities in our region in supporting our efforts to provide equal health care access for all.
• Focus on LGBTQ and interfaith communities, and newcomers to the U.S. health care system.

The UPMC Disabilities Resource Center (DRC) engage with the disability community and helps to guide efforts and priorities. The goal of the DRC is to improve access to health care for patients with disabilities through:

• Providing education and training.
• Conducting reviews and assessments of UPMC hospitals and facilities.
• Reviewing policies and practices on accessible health care for people with disabilities.